This motion was proposed by Mary Fee MSP – to coincide with the joint ME/CFS charity reception held in the Scottish Parliament on May 15.
In common with the Westminster Parliament, motions of this type traditionally string all their sentiments together in one long sentence!
That the Parliament acknowledges that 12 May 2013 is International ME/CFS and FM
Awareness Day and the first day of ME Awareness Week; understands that over
20,000 people in Scotland have the chronic condition, ME; believes that ME can
affect many parts of the body and that symptoms include extreme fatigue, which
leaves people unable to perform even the smallest of tasks, joint, muscle and
head pain, and also memory problems; is concerned that people with ME face a
postcode lottery when accessing services as, it believes, GPs are not properly
trained to spot the complex illness, fail to recognise it and often regard it a
psychological problem; considers that the reform of the benefits system is
hitting people with ME particularly hard as they struggle to get the evidence
needed to back up their benefit claims, leaving many in hopeless situations;
commends the work carried out by many charities, including Action for ME, in
raising awareness of the condition and providing support for people with ME, and
urges the Scottish Government to work with organisations and charities to adopt
a more holistic approach to what it considers this distressing condition.
The motion is supported by the following MSPs: James Dornan, Hanzala Malik, Patricia Ferguson, Anne McTaggart, Neil Findlay, Jackie Baillie.